


The Study of Love

by nikatsu



Series: Stories from #AngstCircle [2]
Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ, EXO (Band), SHINee, So Nyuh Shi Dae | Girls' Generation, f(x)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-31
Updated: 2014-05-31
Packaged: 2018-01-27 18:18:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1718906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nikatsu/pseuds/nikatsu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"We are bound by the rules our culture has developed over centuries. We might change a little here and there but ultimately we go back to square one. But the thing is… once you have found the love you are looking for; it doesn’t mean that everything becomes easy. You could walk a girl to her next class, smile at her, carry her books and then watch her walk away. You could tell that girl you love her and be willing to show her but it wouldn’t be matter if you are afraid to admit it to yourself out loud…"</i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Taemin and Sulli discuss the Trials of Love (while their friends (Sehun, Kai and Krystal) try to help in their own ways).</p><p>[ #BOOMGOESNAOMI birthday fic with The Angst Circle (comprising of myself, douc, bollywoodrecord, sooriforever, kirakirashahida, kurdoodle, wintercreamed, jumons and mekimigure from LiveJournal) ]</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Study of Love

** MONDAY ** **/ INTRO TO ANTHROPOLOGY (8:30-10:00)**

Jinri is up a good two hours before her first class. The sun is barely up when she leaves her dorm, her red hair a surprising pop of color in the otherwise bleary too-early morning light. There are only a few students milling the quad; most of them were Med students who have been up all night interning at the University’s hospital a few buildings down from where she was headed for breakfast.

She pulls down at the skirt she is wearing, inwardly cursing at herself for forgetting to do the laundry the week before and having to borrow her roommate’s clothes because it was too early to go to the Laundromat _now_ and she always ( _always_ ) needed to have a big breakfast first thing before heading off to her classes. She wonders how Soojung managed to walk around wearing her skirts but decided to not to bother to find a reason. It didn’t matter if she was comfortable or not. What mattered was that she got out of the dorm dressed and arrived to class early.

That and she really needed the comfort of a breakfast burrito on a Monday. Because Mondays **always** sucked and processed cheese and meat is a must for sucktastic days.

 _Monday don’t always completely suck though_ , Jinri muses as she takes a big bite out of her breakfast. Chewing absentmindedly, she let her lips curl into a little smile as she thought of her first class and who she was bound to see there. Though she would rather die than to admit it, there were good things about Mondays that she liked best—like the breakfast burrito being half-off only during that particular day and the fact that in an hour and three minutes, she’d be seated in her _Intro to Anthropology_ class… discreetly watching the door for the cute rumple of a boy she’d been eyeing since the semester began.

It helped **a lot** that Anthro Eye-Candy was her roommate’s childhood friend so she got to see him often but it was even better knowing they had a class together without other acquaintances in the way.

Her lips widened into a full-fledged grin at the thought of Lee Taemin. His good looks, quirking smile and his whole general presence made everything about the course easier. No matter how sleep-deprived he looked, her crush always seemed to manage to look more adorable than ever! And that was saying a lot since she is about ninety percent sure their professor was Lucifer himself as everyone of her class, including herself, was beginning to look like the living dead.

Glancing at her watch, she yelps at the time and jumps out of the stool. Power-walking towards her building, Jinri tries hard to school her features into a nonchalant expression—just in case Anthro Eye-Candy was actually early to class.

(Which he wasn’t, per usual. But that is _not_ the point. _The point is he’s cute and sweet and he carried my books once and gosh, he was so nice—making small talk and walking me to my next class that one time—_ )

 _I’m a lady after all,_ she tells herself, making a bee-line towards the seat next to the aisle seat on the third row. _I don’t want to seem too eager. Even though technically he doesn’t know I like him at all._

A quick look at the clock told her that there was five minutes to go before Professor Park showed up and locked the door so Jinri silently sent a prayer to God thather crush wouldn’t be late.

 

» » » » » 

 

Taemin wakes up on a pool of his own drool, clutching a two-inch long pencil in his right hand with his lower back aching for having slept sitting and over his desk. He blinks at his vibrating phone ringing in front of him, the words _GET THE FUCK UP_ blaring bright on the screen as it continues to wail in his otherwise quiet dorm room. Yawning, he picks it up with his free hand and silences the alarm, wiping his mouth on the arm of his sweatshirt at the same time as he slowly pushed his chair back and stood.

His bones hurt; cracking as he stretches limbs he thinks is bound to fall off of him if he didn’t get a better rhythm for his studying soon. Four months in and Taemin felt like he was gaining nothing for his efforts—his body ready to shut down at any moment.Looking around his room, he sighs as he picks up a pair of pants off the floor, sniffing it for half-a-second before deciding to pull it on.

His alarm had been ringing for twenty-minutes before he’d gotten up and his first class of the week was in ten minutes. His professors were not fans of tardy students, and he was already feeling shitty enough as it is on a Monday.

_Hello, Future, you’re looking pretty fucking bleak at the moment._

College, he’s convinced as he jogs down the stairs, is the education that moves both slower and faster any half-a-decade of anyone’s life. But it is _especially_ troublesome when he is forced to drag his limbs down the Southeast Wing of SooMan University’s Main Building and into his eight-thirty AM _Intro to Anthropology_ class.

Taemin had figured that the course would be breeze. His sunbaes from High School had all told him so, ruffling his hair exactly two years and a half ago before they all went to University themselves. Jung Yunho, his hyung from his high school’s dance club, visited once to check up on the club—telling stories about how good University life was and how great it felt to be free to begin making marks on the world.

He looked up to Yunho like a good hoobae and when the older man shared that the _“Intro to Anthropology class with Dr. Park Yoochun is the easiest”_ course, Taemin wasted no time and signed up for it without another thought. On that day, after the final step to complete his enrollment had ended, he had felt on top of the world—so fucking proud of himself for getting into the dream University of his Choice along with some of his best friends in the world. And he knew ( _just knew_ ) that things were going to go his way because he was _‘in it to win it’_ and ha- _bloody fucking_ -ha.

Of course nothing good ever came to feeling like you were King for a day. He found that out quickly when the esteemed Park Yoochun, MD walked in and yelled at everyone to _shut the fuck up_ on that first day of University. That first class had set the tone for the rest of his freshman year. Sleepless nights, coffee-and-ramen days and endless papers occupying the most of his hours and leaving him helpless and wondering _what in the hell was the good people said about University?_

His mind conjures up an image of a smiling, red-haired girl and his lips instantly twitches into a smile. No matter how shitty Taemin felt, just the simple thought of his pretty classmate made him feel ten-times lighter. He hadn’t had the courage to walk up to her and actually ask her out yet but he knows he will. He had, after all, already walked her to her next class somewhat. Thought it felt a little more him waiting a minute till she got out of their class and helping her carry her books because no one else was helping and _—_

 _God, why am I such a loser?_ Taemin bemoans to himself, mentally wringing his neck for such a weak play. He had to man up sooner or later.   _I’ll ask her out—hopefully before Anthro kills me_.

Taemin only narrowly beats his Professor from entering the room by a few feet and he practically dives into the first available seat he sees. The sharp movement sends his bag flying out of his grip, spilling the contents on his classmate’s lap.

It wouldn’t have been mortifying if it were any other person but it was just his damn luck that it had to be on **_her_** lap. **_The_** **girl**.

“Uh… um…” Taemin begins to stammer, unsure of what to say or do (for that matter) now that the girl is looking up at him in surprise. She’s even prettier up close and he kinda hates that he’s not at all looking his best—and _dagnabbit Lee Taemin, pull yourself together!_

He’s only about to open his mouth when their professor walks in and slams the door closed and **the girl** pulls him down to the free seat next to her on the aisle.

“Everyone, shut up and sit down,” says Professor Park, standing tall and fierce up front. And while Taemin is surely listening, he is distracted as well—his arm feeling electrified by the close proximity to the red-haired girl who made his Mondays bearable.

The professor projects a slide of a man and woman standing face-to-face before looking back at the class with a mischievous glint in his eye. Mischievous was dangerous when it came to their professor and everyone in the room held their breaths.

Taemin steels himself for the announcement but can’t help to glance to his right. The girl looks back at him with a small tentative smile, her cheeks rosy ( _Is she blushing?_ ) before turning away to face the board.

“We’re going to talk about something relevant to each and every one of you today, and by Friday I am going to pick two representatives in the class to present the topic.” Their professor says, grinning now as he eyed his students one by one.

Taemin practically gulps when his gaze finally lands on him and stays. _Oh shit._

“The topic is on the _Trials of Love_ as Men and Women understand it.” Professor Park announces in a flourish, slamming his hands on the table and jolting the students to sit up straight. “Who wants to point out questions first?”

 

* * *

 

 ** MONDAY ** **/ [AFTER] PHILOSOPHY 101 (10:00-11:00)**

“There’s a special place in hell for people who take the last Oreos off their friend’s secret stash without permission.”

It is after class on a Monday and to no surprise, he finds Jinri disappointed standing in the middle of her dorm room floor. Sehun rolls his eyes the moment she cusses, tossing his backpack unto the top bunk and climbing up. His female friend starts ranting about how it took her forever—standing at the grocery line—to get those cookies and how she had already bought Sehun extra the last time he stayed at the girls’ dorm so really _shouldn’t you bring me Oreos too, you freeloader?_

He lets her mumble to herself for the next ten minutes because sometimes the female species need to vent. Even **_if_** the reason was as petty as running out of their favorite go-to snack.

“Are you done, Ssul?”

Jinri dives onto her bed below, feeling the exhaustion of the day. “I’m not okay.”

Before pulling out his Philosophy notes from his backpack, Sehun (being _Oh Sehun the smooth talker)_ looks down at her from his space on the top bunk—his blonde hair practically glowing as he hovers just under the fluorescent light. “I know exactly what’s gonna make you feel better.”

She blows the short fringes of red hair off her face; quietly indifferent to whatever it was Sehun was mumbling about. She guesses in a deadpan tone. “That you suddenly have constipation for your gluttony?”

Sehun shakes his head and grins. “Nope. How about a date with _Anthro Eye-Candy_ Lee Taemin?”

Blushing instantly at the very idea, Jinri kicks her socked foot upward—missing Sehun’s face with only a couple of centimeters away while her best friend laughs his head off at the attempted attack and yelling, “Get that thing away from me! The smell of your foot can kill a whole army!”

“You are the worst!” cries Jinri, getting out and off her bed to hit Sehun’s shins mercilessly with a rolled up sheaf of paper. (It didn’t have much of an effect but the Sehun is used to it by now. Thirteen years of leg-whacking has given him iron shins.)

“I can’t believe he still hasn’t asked you out! Did he learn nothing from me in high school? Has be only been growing his invisible beard without us knowing? And what was that you told me the other day when he walked you from Anthropology? _He’s so manly, he carried my books for me, oh my god!_ Pfft, Jinri, you’re such a girl.”

The door swings open just before Jinri was just about to respond, revealing her roommate and friend, Soojung behind it—her headphones on and looking nonchalant as she took in Sehun’s position on her bed and Jinri’s indignant expression before dumping her things into a pile on the floor.

All too quickly Sehun’s laughter fades, practically jumping off the bed and clearing his throat while Jinri opens her arms in exasperation.

“Do you ever knock? Do you not see the door?”

“Nope, can’t hear you,” Soojung half-shouts, pointing to the device attached to her ears. She rummages through Jinri’s desk then, searching for a particular item she doesn’t even mention what its’ for and slipping it into her pocket. Then without breaking her rhythm, she picks up a worn library copy of _The Lovely Bones_ and waved it around as a greeting to the two occupants in the room—as if to say that they were doing a damn well good job of keeping her stuff safe by hiding it in her own roommate’s things.

Jinri shakes her head and intones, “Uh, you’re welcome?”

“I love you too, bitch,” she kisses Jinri in the air as she holds the door open once again before turning back to give Sehun a thumbs-up.

“Dude, thanks for the sushi earlier. Calculus was a pain.” Soojung says before skipping out and disappearing down the hall.

Turning back to her companion, Jinri couldn’t help but giggle at the sight Sehun made—his face all lit up on the brief moment Jung Soojung happened to be in the same room. “Wow, that look on your face is **so** manly.” She teases, rolling her eyes as Sehun snaps out of his reverie, blushes and looks away.

He gave a weak shrug in defeat. “Yeah, I’m all about being a man.”

“And why haven’t _you_ asked Soojung out?”

They’ve already been through this conversation a million times before and while he had been a fun, teasing mood earlier on, Sehun just wasn’t up for any unwelcomed questions about his lack of a love life (or really, the lack of his manly charisma around one Jung Soojung). Instead he moves to toss his Philo book over Jinri’s head before placing himself on the floor, his legs sprawled out as he heaves his laptop out of his bag.

Jinri doesn’t seem perturbed at all at the near hit, still standing and staring at him, expecting nonetheless to be answered.

He uncaps his marker. “Are we not going to start on that Philo report yet? Unlike some of us who are free tomorrow morning, **you** have that Anatomy class to prepare for so… _chop-chop_ , Choi! We don’t have enough time to work on this.”

“Why haven’t you asked Soojung out?” She stresses, smiling now and Sehun just knows she won’t stop asking until he actually responds to the question.

And so he relents. _Totally against his will._

“Because she’s a brat and we’re _just_ friends? And Jongin’s really into her, and then there’s this Minho guy too, so **no** —I don’t even like her that much. She’s just always tagging along…”

He’s babbling—badly—and not meeting his best friend’s eyes but Sehun knows all too well that Jinri loved to relentlessly pursue the issue until she got the honest truth out of him. It was an evil trait, to be honest, one that worked too often on him and it was only just after five-fifteen in the afternoon.

“The issue is not about Soojung and I, okay? There is no me-and-her but there could be a you-and-Taemin. So tell me this: _Why are you and Taemin not going out yet?_ So much potential is there and yet nothing happens. You’re driving me crazy!”

It was a low-blow but Sehun knew that if he asks, Jinri would give up on pushing the issue of his. At least _for now_. The momentary reprieve is welcomed, thankfully, by a jerk of her shoulder and a reply so quiet he has to lean in to hear: “Because he hasn’t asked me out yet.”

Jinri pouts  and eyes him with a glare, “You so owe me Oreos. Double fucking stuff!” And Sehun only grins in reply. Her friend might have stopped her from poking at his girl-troubles now but the discussion wasn’t over. For now she had better things to think about, better suggestions… her thoughts stray towards the new topic in her Anthropology class…

_A date with Lee Taemin, huh?_

 

* * *

 

_Sehun and his stupid suggestions._

_As if I wasn’t already wondering why Taemin hadn’t asked me out yet enough!_

_I wish he’d take his own advice… that little peepsqueak._

_If it were easy to confess your emotions to someone, there wouldn’t be a need to wonder._

_And if the world wasn’t so obtuse, then I would have taken the first step months ago._

_I would have stopped and looked up at him before going into my next class,_

_smile and say, “Hey, would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?”_

_And if he had said yes, then fantastic._

_If he had said no, then there was always time and ice cream._

_But society is not fair._

_And feminism isn’t as nearly prolific as we’d like to think._

_There are still set standards to confer, lines to follow, traditions…_

_Each of us are still obligated to follow the ways of our ancestors, our culture._

_If a woman could freely love a man and not wonder if it made her look_

_—desperate, wanton, lonely, pathetic, weak—_

_Everything might be a little rosier._

_But it’s not._

_(I pray that someday it will.)_

**C.J.**

 

* * *

 

**(( INTERIM ))**

Soojung spots him as she’s on her way to the library. She’s still about 30 seconds away but even so, she can recognize that broad back of his from anywhere. She’s zoning out on his back silhouette when suddenly he turns around, also seeing her.

“Hey,” Jongin mouths from afar, eyes crinkling as he smiles. Her gaze meets his and he raises his eyebrows.

Her pace quickens to a light jog until she’s right in front of him. “Why so smug,” she asks, breathless.

“Nothing,” he chuckles, looking down at her. He’s almost blinded by her bright red hair glistening in the sunlight. “Gosh, Soojung, I still can’t get used to your hair.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” she narrows her eyes.

“I don’t know,” he shrugs. “Just never thought that the 6-year-old Soojung I met in Hawaii years ago would end up like _this_.” He has a teasing smile on his face.

“Okay, first of all,” she almost shouts. “You are _so_ judgmental. You didn’t even _know_ me until uni. Ugh,” she grumbles, a bit miffed.

That smile still doesn’t disappear from his face and she thinks she’s absolutely done with Kim Jongin. “Whatever,” she mutters underneath her breath. “You’re annoying.”

He clears his throat, unperturbed. “Where are you going now?”

“Studying,” she gestures at the library, her expression still bothered.

“Let me guess, babysitting Taemin?”

She almost chokes on her spit at the accuracy. She cracks a wry smile and they exchange amused looks. “Yeah, same difference.”

“Well, I’ll get going then,” he grins. “Good luck.”

“Alright,” she says to herself when he leaves, a smile still upon her lips. She shakes her head, suddenly remembering the study session with Taemin. She groans inwardly. _Well, here we go._

 

* * *

 

**(( STUDY HALL / BREAK – LIBRARY ))**

"Lee Taemin, if I see you paying more attention to your phone than your bloody English paper one last time, I will throw that thing and into the drain."

The threat is supposed to be intimidating, scary even, but Taemin finds himself snickering instead. He looks up to meet the fierce gaze of his best friend sans childhood friend, Jung Soojung, and decides that it is best to comply with her order to pocket his phone away. Taemin raises his both hands in surrender, but his smirk remains. "Okay. You win."

Soojung sighs, exasperate at how carefree her friend is at the moment. Isn't he worried at all about his failing grade for this subject? "I wished you'd be more serious about this tutoring lesson. Do you want another D on your result slip?" She knocks the pencil in her hand against his English textbook a few times to get her message across, only to have the young man sitting opposite her to snatch the pencil from her hand. "I am serious about this, Soojung. But when you have fifty questions to answer on tenses in an hour, you're bound to be distracted!"

"Hey!" Soojung growls, offended. She snatches the pencil back from Taemin in defiance. "I took a really long time in finding those questions for you. You could at least show some sign of gratitude, you know."

"Soojung, when have I not been grateful towards your help with this god-forsaken subject?" Taemin throws a smile in her direction, in which Soojung rolls her eyes in return. "And if you weren't so busy trying to shop for clothes online, you would realize that I have already finished answering these questions earlier." He finishes, nodding at the sheet of paper in front of him and noting the faint streak of pink which appears on her cheeks.

"I wasn't shopping for clothes online! I was just... er... looking?" Ignoring her friend’s shit-eating grin at her weak reply, Soojung slams her laptop shut and takes a hold of his paper, red pen already in hand to check the mock-test she’d written up.

Barely five minutes later, Soojung heaves a loud sigh again and eyes Taemin banefully, staring daggers at him until finally he glances up from his phone and raises a confused eyebrow.

With Soojung’s jaw set in a scowl and deadly silent, Taemin finds himself getting nervous—a lump forming in the middle of his throat. "What?"

Shifting his gaze from his friend and then towards the sheet of paper in his hands, Taemin didn’t need to be a genius to know that he has committed some very important errors to rules which Soojung has specifically taught him not to forget. "Uh oh."

Practically on the verge of giving up on her friend, Soojung drops the paper limply on the table and crosses her arms together—annoyed and frustrated that after all the hours she had sacrificed to tutor her best friend, it is apparent that he was just _not_ picking up anything. She remains silent as Taemin scans the paper she’d dropped and quickly runs through the mistakes he had made. Not one or two, but basically, by the time Soojung reaches the tenth question, she has given up on even trying to check for any correct answers.

"How did you even pass your high school English test?"

"Umm, that's 'cause I didn't?"

"Then why on earth are you taking this subject now?" 

“It was compulsory if I wanted to take Literature!”

Soojung’s hand flies out and smacks Taemin squarely on his forehead. “Are you an idiot or what? If you can’t even pass English, how do you expect to pass freaking English Literature? You don’t even like Literature!”

“Well I… uh… I…” Taemin cheeks turn as red as a beetroot and suddenly Soojung pieces everything together. The reasons why Taemin had wanted to take up Literature suddenly becomes very clear and she cannot help but turn her scowl into her own shit-eating grin.

“ ** _Ohhh_** ” is all Soojung says after an agonizing moment, the smirk practically taped on her lips. “Hmm, I actually do know _someone_ who particularly loves poetry…”

Taemin feels the heat on his face as he retorts—a bit too loud as he earns a sharp stare from the librarian, “I did not take up this course because Jinri likes poetry!”

Soojung leans in and rests her chin on her hands, her elbows propped up on the table. The very picture of innocence as she flutters her lashes and says, “Since when did I mentioned Jinri into the picture?”

“Wh—“ Taemin mentally slaps himself for falling into Soojung’s trap. He should have known better than to blurt out Jinri’s name out of the blue, and now it is his turn to scowl.

“You know, if you like her, then why don’t you _ask her out?_ ” The red-head blinks her eyes a few times, the smirk remains on her lips. The look on her face tells Taemin how much she is enjoying seeing him squirm in his seat like this, so instead, he quickly diverts the topic.

“So how’s Jongin and Sehun?”

At the mention of both their names, Soojung’s smirk fades slightly. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Jongin and Sehun. How are they?” Taemin finds his confidence again as he sees the sudden change of expression from Soojung’s face. “Have you figured out who you’re planning to date?”

It’s a gamble, Taemin thinks, to ask something so bold towards his could-be-ferocious friend. But then again, his whole friendship with her had been a gamble from the start anyway. He’d known it since he had developed a little puppy crush on her aeons ago—when she had deadpanned her rejection of his confession—and then after when he finally got over it and became her friend. Their friendship had been shaky at first, but it is better now, and Taemin thinks it is a privilege for Soojung to still be his friend after all these years.

A decade long friendship was what they had and it was his own right to use whatever advantage he had over her. One of which was his natural privilege to tease his best friend.

“Well?”

Confusion strikes Soojung’s face before she blushes slightly and shakes her head. “What are you talking about? I think of them as my bros, and nothing else.”

Taemin tsks. “For someone so smart, you’re really oblivious when it comes to this.”

Soojung sits up straighter in her seat, her nose flaring as she replies, “If this is some kind of elaborate distraction you’re trying to make, Taemin, I must say you’re failing terribly.”

“Don’t you see the way Jongin looks at you, Soojung?” Taemin continues to tease. “Or the way Sehun would be just _there_ whenever you’re around?”

There’s a lapse of silence as Taemin’s phone vibrates. Checking the screen, Taemin jumps up and quickly packs his books on the table. “Speak of the devils; they’re calling me to meet them now. I’ll catch you later, okay?”

Soojung frowns. “But our tutoring session isn’t ov—“

Taemin leans forward and cracks a smile. “Jongin.”

“What?”

“In my opinion, you should go with Jongin.”

Soojung blinks twice, trying to fathom what Taemin had just told her. Before she could fully process the information though, he had already gone and left the library.

“What the heck just happened?” Soojung mutters under her breath as she decides to gather her things on the table as well. “That’s ridiculous. Jongin and Sehun? _No way.”_

“Actually, it’s not ridiculous at all.”

Soojung jumps in her seat at the sudden sound of someone’s voice spoke from right behind her. She turns around and her eyes meet with those of a beautiful young lady somewhere around her age, but older.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” She apologizes with a smile, and Soojung feels herself holding her breathe for no apparent reason. “But you two were talking quite loudly, and I couldn’t help but to overhear your conversation.”

The young lady walks towards Taemin’s empty seat with Soojung’s eyes fixated on her. She sits on the seat without invitation, but her smile is still on her face. “So… do you want to tell me what’s up with your two male friends, or do I have to go around asking for information?”

“Who are you?” Soojung blurts out, rather shocked at the sudden appearance of this ~~beautiful~~ weird female student.

“Oh, how rude of me!” The brunette laughs before formally introducing herself. “The name’s Im Yoona. I’m an Arts major. I think I know your sister, Sooyeon?”

Soojung nods, relaxing just slightly as Yoona steps closer. “I’m Soojung,” she replies, “And honestly, I don’t really have anything to tell you except that they’re just close friends of mine.”

Yoona makes a slight hand gesture towards the seat before slipping down onto it, her hands tucked sweetly on her lap before speaking again, “Really? But your friend earlier did not make it sound that way though.” She frowns a little bit. “And I honestly don’t think your friendship with those two is that simple.”

Soojung raises her brow, somewhat annoyed that this random female student that has appeared out of nowhere is judging her friendship with Jongin and Sehun. What did this stranger know anyway?

“I don’t mean to pry, really.” Yoona senses the vibe the younger woman was giving away. “I’m just someone who is trying to figure out the complexity of love, that’s all.”

“There’s nothing complicated about my relationship with Jongin and Sehun. They’re just really close friends. End of story.” Soojung replies, this time, a lot softer that she did before. She smiles slightly at her sister’s friend, appreciating her gesture but at the same time, knowing that Yoona isn’t going to get anything juicy from her.

“But that’s only from your perspective, right?” Yoona couldn’t help but smile. “Have you tried thinking from their perspectives instead?”

Soojung tries to think of something to counter back, but she’s at a loss for words. This girl might be right, now that she thinks about it. She has never tried thinking from her two friends’ point of views, after all. Did they really have feelings for her that she knew nothing about?

“Of course, I might be wrong though.” Yoona quickly adds before standing from her seat. “I have to go, but it is nice meeting you, Soojung.”

“Umm… okay.” Soojung nods, still confused over everything that has happened. “It was nice… I guess, having this conversation with you.”

“Don’t worry about it. If you need more advices, you can always find me here. I’ll always be lingering around the library.” Yoona winks. “It’s my sanctuary.”

After the senior left, Soojung is left alone with her thoughts. All of a sudden, the photographs of random dresses she had been viewing in front of her no longer seem interesting for her to see.

 

* * *

 

_Soojung doesn’t get it but—_

**It’s not easy to be a man in man’s world.**

_Isn’t that nifty kind of a conundrum, huh?_

_Society forgets, sometimes, that being one of those carrying the XY-gene_

_isn’t as great as it is made up to be in the rules we set forth into the world._

_Men are expected to be efficient and strong-willed._

_Able to shred away any hint of hesitation or fear or softness he might feel or encounter._

_To give in to fear, to hesitation or to softness is deemed by society as the makings of a coward._

_You only choose those battles you know you can win._

_You do not push forward, knowing you’ll fail._

_Failure is not an option any Man wants to accept…_

_And while we are all trying to be embrace the new world, a lot of our traditions have not changed._

_In Love, men are taught that to show affection is inherently a woman’s skill._

_We pursue, we chase, we manipulate but we do not soothe or bend to someone’s will._

_To choose a mate is final—and to lose, to be_ rejected _is failure._

_In a world that sets such a high standard to a man’s virility, rejection is poison and all men fear it._

I **fear** it.

_(Why do people think I still haven’t made a move?)_

**L.T.**

* * *

 

 **(( STUDY HALL / BREAK – LIBRARY**, _side story_ **))**

She runs the student magazine. Changmin remembers seeing a profile photo of her in one of the first pages, atop the contents. In fact, through the days at university, migrating between lectures and the library and the study hall, Changmin had gotten the impression that this Yoona was everywhere, and adored by most. She’s one of those people who everybody knows a little about, or just knows of, and she belongs somehow, even slightly in everybody’s lives. There was the occasional rumour of a professor taking her to a faculty dinner, or a story about her from years back, head bent over a sink as her body flushed itself out. But for the most part, as Changmin went about his uncomplicated, academically successful and well-organised life, he did not care too much for the fabled Im Yoona.

Certain parts of the study hall are quieter than others, and given the nature of the majority of students, there was always a low hum in the air, with keys on laptops being hit and students confirming definitions and theories with one another. Changmin’s sister would joke about him living in the library and study hall, which was somewhat the truth. Studying and learning never really stopped for him at any point, and he felt that it was a much more worthwhile application of his time than pursuits such as the Disney Appreciation Society and the Basketball team (as badly as a few of the players tried to recruit him in).

On the other hand, the graceful and alluring Im Yoona seemed to be involved in several societies on campus, and regularly appeared on social media to make announcement about various activities and to say important things to responsible people. There was an air of perfection to her that those outside her very inner circle of friends – who Changmin perceived as all tall, slender, well-dressed girls studying some assortment of Arts and Business degrees – breathed in. This well-coordinated, eternally perfect girl. Although Changmin had heard once, from a friend who had heard from Sooyoung, a friend of Yoona’s – that in person, she laughed with the greatest intensity out of her friends and most boyishly, and had many misadventures in high school and her first year on campus, and had a string of boyfriends sourced from various, now unreachable places.

All in all, Changmin had not expected her to cough, say “excuse me” and inquire on if the seat beside him was taken some few weeks before midsems.

She is gracious and polite and every bit the rumoured ladylike Yoona, but she also doesn’t concentrate very well. She asked about what Changmin was studying – what does he want to do after he graduates - does he have a part-time job – how has she not met him before? She speaks with excitement, like she is meeting somebody important and stunning, like he’s the only person in the world that she’s interested in speaking to. Changmin sighs sometimes, in between questions, and points to her textbook and notes, and says that she should be studying them instead of studying him.

He is a little shocked he is joking with her already, and they have only just met. Yoona is a very engaging person. He likes her already, right from the beginning. From the tips of her black-booted toes to the very top of her deep brown hair. She has a lovely smile, and Changmin can understand why the Photography Society is obsessed with her. He also wonders though (a little guiltily, because it is so rude to think bad things about a good person) if this is the golden age of Yoona’s life, and will the rest of her time be an anti-climax?

Changmin hopes not when Yoona eventually plugs herself into music, and traverses a chapter in her public relations textbook. She has lovely features, and Changmin has to catch himself before he is blatantly staring at her.

She doesn’t notice, and she leaves later that evening, all smiles and politeness. She is impossible to dislike, Changmin feels, and is pleasantly surprised to find her in the library the next day, this time in a different desk. And again and again, it seemed that now she had entered his life, she wasn’t leaving so easily. Sometimes she looks up and she smiles and waves, before she looks down to tend to books. Other days she is sitting with a few friends, other girls in modest sweaters and collared shirts. She doesn’t notice him then, but she does wave on the way out. Sometimes she stops by and asks how he is.

She asks him to read one of her essays one day, and asks for his email. Changmin feels that it’s rather out of the blue, this request – but he went along with this request regardless, feeling that there was no harm to it, and he had time. At first he reads her marketing essays and research projects, but one day, she adds him on several social networking sites all at once, and Changmin can’t help this feeling in his gut that there’s got to be more than just his free casual tuition she’s interested in.

Changmin is pleasantly surprised when she drops by his workplace with a friend (her name is Sooyoung, he overhears), and orders crème caramel and mocha. She is gracious and encourages him to linger and talk, but of course he can’t, because there are more costumers and it is poor form to idle. So he smiles at her and thanks her for dropping by.

She leaves a moderate tip, made generous by her phone number on the napkin it rests on.

He texts her later, questioning her motives and asking if she has the slightest inkling of how leaving her phone number in public spaces is dangerous.

She responds quickly and in complete sentences. She uses emoticons sparingly, and she is lovely. She isn’t very funny, but it makes her endearing. She laughs at what Changmin says a lot. She says he is funny.

 _/not many people tell me that./_ He’s genuinely flattered. A little.

_/everyone else is stupid then./_

She stops replying after that, and Changmin reassures himself, thinking that she must have gone to bed and nurses his unjustified bruised ego.

Changmin texts her a couple of days later when he’s free on campus _/Hey, are you around? Want to meet up?/_ He waits around after sending it, sitting underneath a tree and idly reading a book his professor recommended.

 _/Sure I’m free! Where are you? I was going to head off to lunch – have you eaten yet?/_ Changmin has eaten – a sandwich, but he figures that he definitely has room for more. So they agree on a place nearby and they head off. Changmin gets there first – so he finds a spot and orders something small. Yoona rounds the corner soon, navy blue cardigan on her shoulders and a charming smile on her lips.

She apologises when she sits down, mentioning how one of the younger students she tutors had held her up asking for love advice along the way. She mentions a Soojung, about how she’s having problems with these boys. Changmin laughs a little, “Do you have problems with boys?”

There’s an extended silence then, but she recovers quickly. She talks about how she’s laying off relationships for a while, she’s had a string of them for a few years.

“Did they all turn out wrong?”

“Something like that.”

“I hope I don’t turn out that way.”

“I don’t plan on dating you.” She seems to realise that it was a little hurtful, rude. “You’re nice though.” She asks him the same question after that – _what about his exes_ – or _does he have a girlfriend right now?_

“No,” he tells her. He mentions the last one, a nice girl. Short-haired, quite tall. Studious. Beat him in all his marketing classes. Yoona laughs at that, makes an “ouch” sound and playfully kicks him in the shins. He rolls his eyes and tells her she’s juvenile – what is she, straight out of high school? It’s all good fun though, and she just laughs and says that high school wasn’t bad. She doesn’t like how everybody in university makes it out as thought high school was embarrassing and nobody ever wants to think about it again.

“High school was a good time of my life. Sure, everyone studied really hard and we never slept enough and there were all these really stupid arguments … but it was a good time of my life. When I look back on it, it’s as if everything is washed in golden sunlight, and nothing could ever go wrong.” She leans her head on her hands, and there’s something so pure about her.

He thinks about her constantly when he gets home, and he feels like a teenager again. It’s embarrassing. This constant mulling over her actions and words, wondering if she’s emotionally invested in somebody else and maybe he’s just wasting his time. Maybe she just felt like a stranger to befriend. It’s not abnormal for people to do that, and Yoona seemed the type. It really did bother him, and Changmin spent a good thirty minutes lying on his bed and stalking her Instagram to appease his concerns. He notices how the further down her feed he gets, the more photos there are of her with other guys, and more photos of her with the same set of friends at parties, where everybody looks thoroughly drunk and tired.

Changmin stops later that evening, and just falls asleep.

Kyuhyun says Changmin’s being stupid the next day after a lecture, and that he shouldn’t keep walking himself in circles to decide whether or not he’s really interested in Yoona or not. It’s just too early to say, he feels, when he’s out in the sun, letting Younha – Kyuhyun’s tiny girlfriend, make a clover crown for his head. Changmin guess that he does like her. There isn’t anything not to like. She’s gorgeous, she’s intelligent, she’s polite.

“You know,” Kyuhyun mentions in between a kebab, “if she’s so perfect, there’s probably something up with her that we don’t know about.”

Changmin goes quiet after that.

Yoona invites him to a party the staff of the student magazine is holding. There’s an incredible mix of people that will turn up, and Yoona insists that Changmin go. At first he doesn’t understand why, but when he checks online to eyeball the magazine staff, he has a gut feeling. Changmin messages her his ‘yes’ to attending, and she sends him a stream of hearts and ‘thank you’s and “You’ll enjoy it, I swear”. Changmin isn’t sure if he’s made the right decision, but he figures why not. He’s on track with his research, some people he know will be there. And you can’t say no to free drinks, although he doesn’t plan on getting drunk.

He meets Yoona when he gets inside, and the music is terrible and at least the air conditioning works. Yoona takes him around first, and introduces him to some of the more senior staff – some of whom are his age, and it is pleasant at first. A lot of conversation, some politics, a lot of laughter, a few in-jokes to learn. He hates politics, he tells Yoona, and over the noise of other voices and heavy bass, she says that she isn’t very fond of it to. Changmin asks if that’s why she writes about clothes and just looks pretty for the magazine. She’s offended, and punches him in the arm. It hurts more than he’s previously experienced from her. She apologises.

Later into the evening, he watches as she starts to look around the room more, eyes lingering on faces, then drifting off again. She drinks more, and after the sixth glass of god knows what, Changmin just takes the cup away. “You need to stop.”

She just looks at him and stretches out her hand for it. “Come on, give it back, you’re not my mum.”

Changmin refuses, and just holds it away for longer. She gives up waiting, and sits.

“I guess I lied before. About the problems with boys.” And she tells him how she was hoping that somebody would come. How they had gotten close over the past few months and she thought that there might be something good in him. She’d invited him to come.

“Did he?”

“Yeah.” She doesn’t say anything for a while, and she just keeps looking into the distance. As far as the dim lights allowed. “With somebody else. I’d seen it coming, but I had hoped it wasn’t the case.”

“I thought you were taking a break from boy problems.”

“I was. I just thought he was nice. I liked him. He just didn’t like me enough.”

They sat there for a while. Changmin takes a risk. “I like you more than he does.”

She smiles at him in this tired way that he hasn’t seen before, and tells him, “Thanks.”

She lets him walk her home.

 

* * *

 

**_‘For love to remain unspoken is the quickest route to a heavy heart.’_ **

_I read this once in one of those girly books Soojung likes to read in between exams._

_She likes to cram her things into everyone’s piles: mine, Jinri’s, Jongin’s and Sehun’s._

_It’s infuriating but she is our friend and we love her for it, or despite it._

_(I really could never be sure.)_

_But anyway, the point I’m trying to make is I don’t necessarily agree with the quote a hundred percent._

_I think that love isn’t shown through just words but by actions as well._

_Being able to sing or write or say ‘_ I love you _’ shouldn’t be the only way we believe that it’s there._

_Sometimes love is there in the background, waiting for the right time._

_Sometimes it’s in a simple concession to a bet, or a special delivery of sushi after class._

_Sometimes it’s there during the quiet time you walk the person you love to her next class._

_Each movement needs rhythm—a counter action._

_Words don’t mean as much as when you do something about it._

_God, I’m a hypocrite, but that’s how it is._

_All I’m saying is, the love is there._

_Not necessarily doves or ringing church bells, but subtle._

_Just waiting for that right time._

**L.T.**

 

* * *

 

 ** TUESDAY ** **/ ENGLISH LITERATURE 101 (13:00-14:30)**

Taemin groans in frustration and defeat as he leans back to his chair, flipping his book away when the door clicks shut. Professor Jeon is making a quick run to her office for something he left behind, so they are left to their own devices. The other students are already chirping away, so he glances at his friends to vent out his rant.

“I don’t understand a single crap she was talking about,” he mumbles, scratching his head with the end of his pen.

“That’s because everything she said was crap,” Jongin concludes. He has the same confused look as Taemin on his face, but unlike the older boy, he seems like he can’t care less.

“Why are you even taking English Lit? It’s not even required for your course.”

Not lifting his gaze away from whatever he’s doodling on Emily Dickinson’s face, he shrugs. “I made Soojung arrange my classes this semester because she lost a bet, and she thought enrolling me in this class was a genius idea to get back at me.” Sehun snorts curtly in amusement next to him, but Jongin chooses to ignore the blonde. He then finally looks up to address Taemin. “Why are _you_ in this class? I thought English is your arch nemesis.”

“He thinks it’s a wonderful strategy to impress poetry lover Choi Jinri aka the love of Lee Taemin’s life,” Sehun answers the question for him. He attempts to keep a straight face but when both Taemin’s cheeks and ears changes from the normal colour to crimson red before his expression eventually darkens as he shots the younger boy a glare, but Sehun’s efforts turn out useless because Jongin and him both break out into a fit of laughter, causing the other students in the class to stare at them.

“Ah,” Jongin nods understandably when their giggles die down, and gives his friend a supportive pat on his shoulder. “That’s very, um, attentive of you.”

“Shut up.” Taemin rolls his eyes.

Sehun lets another chuckle escape before his face turns solemn. “Okay, serious question here. Have you even tried asking her out?”

“Uh, no,” he replies in a small voice. His orbs quaver a bit as he struggles not to meet their gaze. “But hey, you know we have Anthropology together, right? The week before last I walked her to her next class after Anthro.”

Taemin looks so content and pleased with himself that Jongin doesn’t have the heart to break his bubbles, so he quietly takes out his phone and types a message under the table, out of Taemin’s vision. Seconds later Sehun’s phone buzzes noisily in his pocket, and the soon he reads the message he immediately burst out laughing again, unable to contain his hilarity.

“What?” the oldest boy raises a brow and scowls, suddenly feeling left out from whatever joke the two seem to be sharing.

“Nothing,” they return and shake their head in unison, and Taemin feels even more bitter so he takes out his own phone and starts playing games.

“Why do you even like Jinri? I’ve known her since forever and I never saw anything in her that worth making me risk screwing my grade just so that she’d be impress with me,” Sehun mutters. There’s a frown on his face as he twirls a pen in between his fingers.

“That’s because you’re blind,” Taemin retorts.

“And you’re not?” the blonde snickers. “At least I’m still able to differentiate between walking someone to class and follo―”

He is interrupted by Jongin kicking his foot under the table, and they eye Taemin whose face has turned a shade of red so deep they didn’t even know such colour was possible.

“I’m so done with you assholes,” Taemin mumbles under his breath as he gives up on the game, starts to gather his stuff and shoves everything into his bag without even bothering to organize them.

“Where are you going?” Jongin asks.

“Off finding new, _nicer_ people whom I can actually call friends.”

However before he could leave, the door opens and their lecturer makes her way back in. “Okay, class. Sit in your group. We’re doing something today,” she announces, and Taemin’s pout becomes more visible as he kicks the empty chair in front of him because his groupmates are none other than the people he just called assholes.

“You can’t escape us, Lee Taemin.” Sehun half-whispers in a mocking tone.

“Yeah, man, you’re stuck with us,” Jongin adds with a smirk. “At least for the rest of the semester.”

Taemin groans again while the two share a high five and try their best not to laugh. “Well then, can one of you be useful for once and explain this fucking poem to me so it actually makes sense?”

To his surprise, Sehun does explain it to him, in a detailed manner at that, and towards the end of the class when their group turns out getting the highest score for the little game their lecturer conducted based on the poem, Taemin finds himself seeing Sehun in a new light.

“How come you never told me you’re good at literature?” he asks incredulously.

“Because I never told anyone?”

“Why are you even good at it?”

The younger one shrugs and, expecting the reaction he’d receive, smiles smugly. “Well, having Jinri as a best friend also comes with the special privilege of her being my personal tutor. And unlike you I actually listen when Soojung teaches us English.”

Hearing that, Taemin makes a face at him just as Sehun predicted. “Can we exchange best friends?”

“You wanna be my best friend instead? Cool. Girls are gross.”

“Says the guy who has a crush on Soojung.”

Sehun’s face flushes a little but he recovers quickly. “Soojung is not a girl. The whole time I’ve been friends with her, I never saw her wear anything but pants. Does she even own a skirt?”

“Oooh, not only that you didn’t deny my statement, you even monitor her wardrobe,” Taemin teases in a singsong voice, delighted that the tables have finally turned now and he’s the one on the attacking side. “And yes, she does have skirts. Hundreds of ‘em even. She just doesn’t like to wear ‘em.”

“Shut up, dickhead.”

Glancing over at Jongin, Taemin doesn’t fail to notice that he is silent throughout the entire conversation. He also notices the faint blush on his friend’s cheeks because he knows that the last time Soojung went out with Jongin for their project together, she actually wore a skirt. He catches Jongin’s gaze right then, at when the latter mumbles a “what?” questioningly, he just shakes his head and manages a smile.

Some things, Taemin realizes, don’t really require much explanations.

 

* * *

 

**(( INTERIM ))**

When Jinri finally talks herself to sleep, it is 4am in the morning. “I hate boys,” she mutters to herself, indirectly blaming them for her lack of sleep. She rubs her eyes and collapses into her bed comforter. Her phone buzzes next to her pillow.

“Hello?” she yawns, reaching over to turn off her bedside lamp.

“Hey, Soojung.” And it’s Jongin, his voice deep and tired. In her sleepless delirium, she can imagine him with bloodshot eyes, cheek pressed against his physics textbook.

“‘sup,” she says grudgingly.

“Why are you still up?” he asks from the other end.

“I could ask the same to you. What are _you_ doing still up at the crack of dawn? Getting high or something?”

He laughs. “As if. Well, I’ve just been thinking - I mean, nevermind.”

“What?” she says, her voice a bit softer now, as to not wake up Jinri.

He inhales deeply. “We should sleep now, I guess.”

“I was about to, until _you_ decided to interrupt, thank you very much.”

A pause. “You can’t blame me if…” he cuts off. “Good night, Soojung. See you tomorrow during chem, I guess.”

She’s barely listening anymore, her eyes already drifting shut. “Good night, Jongin,” she mumbles. And all is quiet.

 

* * *

 

 

_It’s true that love is more than just words._

_Action is needed; with movement and rhythm to go along with the beauty of the three words._

_There is a need for a moment to remember and dance to for the rest of our lives._

_One cannot be without the other._

_Actions should be reaffirmed with words._

_Words reaffirmed with actions._

_You cannot tell someone you love them and not show them._

_That wouldn’t be fair._

_But then again, when is anything fair?_

**C.J.**

 

* * *

 

 ** WEDNESDAY ** **/ ADVANCED TRIGONOMETRY (8:00-11:00)**

Every Wednesday, Sehun makes the long trek to her dorm building, mentally preparing himself for the (beautiful) disaster that is Jung Soojung. He remembers when he first knew of her, when she would visit Taemin’s dorm room down the hall, with a giggly Jinri in tow. Sehun would peer in their direction in curiosity, only an acquaintance with her at best.

He had _officially_ met her freshman year during the spring semester in advanced trigonometry, where they had been study partners (or rather, where Sehun had tried to get Soojung to actually focus in math class instead of having her nose buried in a novel). She is interesting—Soojung, complete with her wardrobe of plaid shirts and skinny jeans—and so he counts it as a blessing from above that they end up in the same calculus class this year (he may or may not have purposely matched his math class with hers, but she doesn’t know and he doesn’t plan to change that).

Taking a deep breath, Sehun knocks on her door.

“What?!” he hears her yell from inside.

“Sheesh. Calm down, Krys,” he rolls his eyes, brushing the hair out of his eyes in exasperation. “It’s not my fault that I’m on time and you aren’t.”

“In my defense,” she shouts from her room—and Sehun wonders if she is ever _not_ stressed in the mornings— “Jinri was talking to me all last night about her _feelings_ and she never shuts up and so now I’m too exhausted for my good!”

“Those dark circles, man. Must be so attractive,” he replies, a tinge of a smirk upon his lips.

The door swings open, revealing a disheveled Soojung. She’s wearing a tanktop and skinny jeans today, and her hair is pulled into a messy braid. He raises one eyebrow, eyes scanning up and down her figure.

“Ow,” he yelps when she smacks him on the shoulder. “What was that for?”

“For being an impatient, inconsiderate, perverted jerk, that’s what,” she shoots daggers at him through her eyes and he shrinks away for a split second.

“Ugh,” he mutters underneath his breath, brushing past her to walk into her dorm room.

Her hands are on her hips. “What do you think you’re doing?”

He doesn’t say anything and snatches a jacket from her coat hanger, hoisting her backpack on his other shoulder. “Did you eat yet?”

And when she doesn’t respond, he unzips his own bag and tosses her a bagel. “I have sushi, too, but we can save that til after class,” he says while draping the jacket over her.

Soojung scoffs at him for being always so over-prepared but after he turns away to close the door, she smiles to herself because she doesn’t know what she would do without him. “Let’s go, then,” she says.

Calculus isn’t really her thing. Thankfully, Sehun is relatively decent at it and actually likes integrating and deriving equations that she will never care about in real life. _I just don’t get why you would want to find the volume of rotation of a certain curve_ , she would say one day and he would somehow take it as a personal insult. Sehun, who (according to Jongin) almost failed out of high school, of all people. _It’s because I met you_ , he would wink in that cavity-inducing way of his whenever she teases him about his 180 degree transformation from a teenage delinquent to a person who actually cares about school.

“Attention,” the professor starts, and she can already feel herself dozing off. Really, 8am classes are not her forte. She feels a jab in her rib cage courtesy of Oh Sehun, and the squeal that comes out from her lips earns her some pointed stares from the other students in the class. Sehun chuckles next to her and she clenches her jaw in determination, hand tightening around her pencil.

An hour and a half of optimization later (didn’t sound that _optimal_ to her, she mutters underneath her breath and Sehun glares at her but then laughs a little more than he should, which she finds absolutely obnoxious), class is dismissed and Soojung practically jumps out of her seat.

“Sushi?” she looks at him hopefully.

He chucks the container at her. “Knew you would say that,” he grins.

“Don’t throw the container at me, Sehun. You’ll hurt them.”

“Them? You mean, _the sushi?_ ” he asks incredulously.

Her chin points up in defiance as she walks out of the lecture hall, gracefully shoving sushi in her mouth. He accosts her from behind to grab a few from her. “Tax collection,” he explains.

They walk side by side for a little bit until Krystal spots her favorite campus coffee shop across the plaza. “Time for some coffee,” she says to no one in particular, her loose braid now becoming undone as she prepares to make a beeline for the cafe.

“Wow,” Sehun rolls his eyes for the millionth time that morning and pretends to leave but her hands grab onto his forearm. He can’t exactly refuse her puppy eyes and he swears inwardly. “Fine…”

She orders a green tea frappuccino with a triple-shot of caffeine and when he sends her judging stares, she only says that it’s not her fault that she ended up with calculus at such an ungodly time in the morning. When she gets up to pick up her drink at the counter, Sehun is already there, snatching it away.

“Sehun,” she warns him, her voice becoming dangerously icy.

He looks at her innocently, eyes blinking in mischief as he takes a few quick sips from her straw. “Mmm, good.”

She has to kick him in the shins to get him to let go of her drink. “Feisty,” he laughs, but then freezes when her hand stops mere inches from his cheek.

“You better stop before I ruin your oh-so-pretty face and kick you off the prestigious Jung Soojung friend list.”

“ _You_ better stop drinking that green tea frappe before you consume way too many calories and fat and suffer from a heart attack at the age of 21,” he shoots back.

He dodges her foot. “Not in the crotch!” he shouts, eyes narrowing. He laughs nervously. “Calm down, Krys, I’m obviously trying to protect you and your health. Stop jumping to conclusions,” he sticks her tongue out at her.

She’s not touched at the slightest but sighs in exasperation. “Nice try, Sehun. You’re almost as bad as Taemin.”

“I try, I really do,” he laughs as he settles down next to her, watching her drink while occasionally checking his phone. A few minutes pass and he keeps eyeing her frappuccinao. “It tasted really good though,” he says bluntly, and she doesn’t know why, but she feels like being nice today. She reaches for another straw.

“Okay, fine, we can share,” she gives in, as she stabs the straw in. “Here,” she slides it across the table. And as they sit there in silence (a rarity for them, to be honest), she can’t help but think that maybe calculus on Wednesdays isn’t so bad, after all.

That is, until Sehun breaks the quiet by commenting on how easy the chemistry homework was last night and Soojung just cannot handle this kid and his smartass ego. “Tell me again how you did so badly in high school?” she asks, half in awe, half in disgust. She wants to wipe the stupid grin off his face.

He doesn’t answer her question and instead stands up abruptly. “Come on! Let’s get something substantial to eat for lunch and then meet up with Jongin for chemistry!”

She heaves a gigantic sigh. The day is going to be a lot longer than she thought.

 

* * *

 

_Women are complicated._

**L.T.**

 

* * *

 

 ** WEDNESDAY ** **/ CHEMISTRY (13:00-16:00)**

"Hey. Hey Soojung. _Psssst._ Soojung. _Soojung."_

Jongin snickers and Sehun hits him, grinning as he leans forward on his elbows. "Soojung. _Jung Soojung."_

"What the fuck do you want, Sehun? Can't you see that I'm busy?"

Sehun snorts uncharacteristically and pinches her arm, and next to him Jongin giggles obnoxiously. "I don't understand why you're doing your schoolwork, it's not like Mr. Lee's here watching us. He's probably not even gonna show up, knowing him."

"So?"

Jongin's the one to speak up this time. "So talk to us!"

"No, why would I do that? You guys talk about the stupidest things."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

Sehun snorts again, kicking the both of them with his annoyingly long legs, and chastises them with his equally annoying patronizing tone. "Little kids. Too cute." He doesn't flinch when Soojung raises her pen to throw at him and goes back to pestering her, pushing the fat Chemistry textbook back and forth while she tries to keep up with her notes.

After about five minutes of relentless bothering, he figures she isn't going to let up and turns back to Jongin instead, punching him in the arm.

"What the fuck."

"Do you wanna see a movie this weekend?"

Jongin is still rubbing his arm, raising an eyebrow at Sehun. "What movie?"

"Godzilla came out, and you _know–"_

"–how you _love_ Bryan Cranston, yeah, yeah, nerd."

"Breaking Bad isn't for nerds, you moron, it's for–"

"– _intellectuals invested in the science of chemistry_ , because that's definitely not what a nerd is."

"Shut the fuck up, Jongin, at least I don't still watch _anime_ like some child–"

"Anime isn't just for kids! Adults can–"

"–enjoy simple television shows just for easy watching, sure, _dweeb–"_

Soojung smirks, looking up from her papers to eye the both of them. "You guys are so fucking gay, it's wonderful. I can't believe you two complete each other's sentences, that is _so cute."_

Her voice is dripping with sarcasm but Sehun ignores it, wrapping his arms around Jongin and pushing his head into the crook of his best friend's neck. "Ever since the second grade–" but Jongin manages to shove him off before he finishes, yelling something incomprehensible but probably along the lines of what an idiot Sehun is. He's heard the mantra before. He crosses his arms over his chest and watches as Jongin eyes Soojung nervously, and he smiles to himself. His best friend is _so stupid._

Soojung goes back to her work eventually and Sehun leans in towards Jongin again, his eyes twinkling. "Hey, asshole."

"What."

"Did Taemin ask Jinri out yet?"

Jongin snorts. "No, he's such a wuss. I told him like _six times_ over text message the other day and he just kept chickening out. I mean, he fucking took a _literature_ class because she likes poetry. I don't understand why he can destroy his grade point average for her and then not take her out for lunch."

"Hey, hey, he's trying!" Sehun and Jongin both look up to Soojung, who is leaning forward on her elbows, trying to butt her way into their conversation. Sehun raises his eyebrow, but Jongin just looks even more excited.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I was talking to him during tutoring, it's not like he's completely useless. He's making _some_ attempt. He kind of switched topics before I got anywhere with the conversation about him and Jinri, but I'm pretty sure he's trying."

Sehun nudges Jongin, grinning. "Remember that one time he told us he walked her to anthropology class and it turns out he was just following like three feet behind her." Jongin bursts out laughing, hitting Sehun in the arm, and Soojung watches the two of them in amusement.

"That was fucking hilarious, oh my god, he's so stupid."

"Hey! Aren't you two best friends?"

Jongin pretends to wipe a tear from his eye, turning to Soojung. "Yeah, so? He's such a wimp when it comes to her, how can you _not_ make fun of him."

"I don't see you doing anything about the girl _you_ like," Sehun retorts, raising his eyebrows, and Jongin reddens.

"Shut the hell up, _nerd."_

Sehun laughs and Soojung smiles, shaking her head. Her friends are so dumb, it's ridiculous. "Okay you guys, shut up. I can't concentrate."

Jongin's expression turns from embarrassed to hurt to annoyance, and he hits Sehun in the arm. "You see what you did?!" he whisper-yells, and Sehun snorts, patting him on the thigh before turning back to Soojung.

"Since _you_ can't even pay attention, how about we all leave?" Sehun suggests. "It's been like–" Sehun checks his wrist, realizes he isn't wearing a watch, and decides to approximate, "half an hour into class and Mr. Lee _still_ hasn't shown up. I told you he wasn't coming."

Jongin nods along in response. "Yeah, yeah, let's do that!"

Soojung doesn't pay any attention to either of them until she notices them packing up, Jongin arranging his books in order while Sehun absentmindedly drops them all at once into his book bag. She panics and stands up, her beautiful notes scattering everywhere. "WAIT YOU CAN'T LEAVE."

Jongin glances at Sehun, who looks just as surprised as he feels, and then turns back to her. "Why?"

"Just – just because. You can't go."

Sehun smirks. "Why? Someone you're looking for?"

Soojung glares at him, kicking him from under the table, and he doesn't even flinch. Jongin glances back between the two of them with a bewildered expression on his face. "What? What's going on?"

"Soojung has a little crush on _Minho~"_

"Who?"

Sehun motions behind them at a taller guy sitting near the front of the class, head thrown back as he laughs at one of their senior's jokes. He looks familiar, but Jongin can't pinpoint the reason why. "Him. He's on the soccer team."

Soojung kicks him again, and her face is a little red but otherwise she looks the same. Pissed, but that's a daily expression they all put up with, so nothing out of the norm. "I don't have a crush on him, you _moron._ I said he was cute once like last year."

"Oh, so it doesn't matter anymore?" Soojung shakes her head. "Fine, I'll just go tell him right now. The infamous Jung Soojung said she thinks he was 'cute once, like _last year.'_ " She shoots up, then, grabbing on to Sehun's arm and whacking him in the back of the head with her free hand, and Sehun is laughing too hard to even register the pain.

Jongin has a scowl on his face, and he plops back down behind their lab table. He grabs one of the bottles filled with distilled water from the middle of the table and starts swishing it around angrily. "I heard that guy is a total whore," he mutters.

Sehun snorts, slapping Jongin in the back now that Soojung has recovered. "You didn't even know who he was a second ago."

"Shut up, stupid," and Sehun laughs, dodging the pen Soojung actually _does_ throw at him so it hits Jongin instead. Jongin doesn't even seem to notice, still swirling the distilled water in quick, frustrated motions. The pen clatters to the floor and Soojung watches sadly as it rolls away towards Minho's table. No getting that back now.

The door opens, then, and Jongin drops the bottle in surprise. It falls to the table, water spilling everywhere, and only Soojung notices, giggling with her hand covering her mouth. Sehun groans from behind them and the two of them look up to see Mr. Lee arranging his books on top of the front lab table, his glasses crooked and his tie a wrinkled mess.

Sehun shakes his head and his arms flop across the table in exasperation. "I told you guys. We should've left when we had the chance."

Soojung hits him and then stands up from where her work is scattered all over the desk, pulling Jongin with her. "Come on, let's go clean this stupid mess before Mr. Lee sees. You know how he throws a fit when we dirty up his stuff."

They walk past Minho in the process and Jongin glares daggers into the back of his head, and Soojung giggles again, linking her arm with Jongin and pulling him away towards the sink. Behind them, Sehun sighs, twirling his own pen in between his hands as Mr. Lee begins his lecture.

He supposes they could be kind of cute, too.

 

* * *

 

_Boys are idiots._

**C.J.**

 

* * *

 

 

 ** THURSDAY ** **/ PHILOSOPHY (10:00-11:00)**

After the presentations on how to identify which argument was truth and which was a fallacy, Jinri ends it by flashing her million-dollar smile at the class – though bored, peeved, and almost asleep – then  at the professor who also shows his disinterest by playing Temple Run (rather loudly at that).

Sehun, noticing how nobody seemed to give a shit anymore because the bell is going to ring in five minutes,  gives Jinri a standing ovation, gaining momentum by saying, “Choi Jinri, everyone! Whoo!” The others joins him though lethargically and with little vigor.

Jinri returns to her seat, holding Sehun’s shoulder to settle him down. “This does not quantify the Oreos I had requested of you,” she quietly adds.

“In case you forgot Ssul, I was the roadrunner in middle school.”

She squints, unsure of what it’s supposed to mean before Sehun smirks, sitting down and holding out his phone towards Jinri. It’s set to his inbox, two messages from Taemin with a little preview and having Jinri’s name on the first line. “How about this, then?”

Eyes widening in shock and ears as red as tomatoes, Jinri attempts to snatch his mobile from him but to no avail, because the bell rings and it’s already lunchtime, him hastily exiting the classroom with Jinri at his trail.

“Oh Sehun you bitch! You come back here!”

The fastest way to lose somebody is in a crowd, and lunchtime rush always is the perfect stir. Sehun blasts from one hallway to another, still hearing Jinri’s shouting from behind. He knows she can catch up, but that doesn’t mean he can’t outrun her either way.

He spots Taemin and Jongin heading to the cafeteria to grab their meal, leaping in between them and ruining their unjustifiable hairstyles of the week. Jongin feels more pissed than hurt, while Taemin rolls his eyes at the sight of him.

”Just because you’re fucking blonde, doesn’t give you the fucking right to give us all a bad hair day.”

He scoffs, and points at Taemin. “Dude, do you or do you not want to go out with Jinri on Saturday? Maybe watch Godzilla?”

“Hey yeah, that’s a good idea, Sehun and I are going,” Jongin adds, finally a smile at the idea.

“So gay.”

Jongin mocks Taemin’s tone, and then continues: “It’ll make it less awkward since she’ll think it’s a group date, but actually we’ll just ditch the movie and grab tacos instead.”

Sehun’s taken aback, gazing at Jongin now. “Dude, seriously?”

“Yes, you nerd, we’re ditching Godzilla so Taemin can make a move,” Jongin retorts. Jinri suddenly comes into view, panting and tired from catching up with her best friend, trying to kick his shins (but again missing) in revenge the moment she gains enough energy. The other two starts walking away, brief salute of respect for Sehun and his brilliant ideas, and giving no signs that they have been discussing some kind of intergalactic conspiracy a.k.a. Taemin’s not-so-hopeless love affairs.

“What was that about? Huh?”

Sehun throws an arm over her shoulders. “Listen Ssul, about those Oreos…”

 

* * *

 

 **(( INTERIM ))**  

It’s a Thursday night and Soojung is absolutely done with school and life and everything. All the stress is piling up and all she feels like doing is eating gallon after gallon of ice cream. Straight from the container.

“I mean, on the bright side, the ice cream tastes absolutely heavenly,” she says in between bites.

Across the table sits Jongin, just watching her shove ice cream in her mouth with an intrigued look on his face. “Can I…?”

She pauses her eating to glare at him. “What is it with you and Sehun and stealing my food? Get your own, cheap idiots.”

“Soojung,” he exclaims in mock horror. “I bought this ice cream for you at your request.”

“But you gave it to me, so it is mine.”

“Oh, come on. At least I’m _here_ , Soojung. When _everyone else_ ditched you.”

“Who asked you to accompany me, huh?”

“I mean, with Taemin and Jinri agonizing over each other in love and Sehun being an absolute brat, you’re lucky you have me.” His face is too proud of himself for her liking.

“You’re just mad because he insulted your love of anime,” Soojung retorts.

“I don’t know why you two keep bringing that up, like seriously,” he rolls his eyes.

“We all know you’re silently fuming inside,” she laughs. “And plus, Sehun isn’t an absolute brat all the time,” she finds herself saying, and she doesn’t know why she has it in her today to defend him. “I mean, he gave me sushi yesterday morning.”

Jongin tenses up across from her. He doesn’t say anything.

“Earth to Jongin,” she waves her hand in front of his face. “Hello? Anyone home?”

He blinks a few times. “I’m tired,” he simply says.

Soojung flops down on her bed, stomach satisfied. “Well you’re free to go back to your dorm if you want. Jinri should come back soon.”

He finds himself looking at Jinri’s bed next to Soojung’s and his face reddens when his eyes come in contact with hers.

She scrunches her eyebrows. “I mean, if you are really tired right now and can’t make it back--”

“--no, no, it’s fine, I wasn’t thinking in that way--” he cuts in.

“--I wasn’t saying you were? I’m just--just forget that I said--”

“--don’t worry about it. I’m leaving now…just need to…” he gets up, a bit clumsy, and gathers his things. He tosses a DVD in her general direction. “I, well, I came in the first place to give you this.”

“An anime series?”

He shrugs. “I mean, we can watch it sometime together, maybe?” He’s standing in her doorway now, hand rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh,” she looks up at him. “I don’t really watch anime, but thanks?”

“It’s nice to watch something while you’re eating ice cream,” he says matter-of-factly, and Soojung finds some truth in that.

She gives him a smile. “Fair enough.”

“Alright, good night, Soojung.”

And as he walks down the hall away from her dorm, he makes a mental note to himself to buy her food more often. _Screw Sehun_ , he thinks. _Screw you and your sushi._

 

* * *

 

 ** FRIDAY ** **/ ECONOMICS 102 (10:00-11:30) / INTERIM**

"Soojung."

A pause.

"Soojung-ah."  
  
Another pause.

" _Soojung_..."

Yet another pause.

" _Krystal_!"

" _What_?" Soojung finally responds in a harsh whisper, still looking down at her pen and paper with a concentrated look on her face, clearly she does not want to talk. She's trying to take notes as their professor begins to lecture. Quick scratching noises can be heard whenever her pen comes in contact with the paper. It practically hypnotizing to Jinri.

Soojung has always been the diligent one, the hard worker, the brighter one. She works towards a goal and sticks to it while Jinri just goes with the flow, she isn't concerned about the smaller details and focuses more on the whole picture. But Jinri is okay with that, it feels reassuring that she has someone to keep her in check every now and then.

"I'm bored," Jinri whines; she hates, no, she loathes economics. It's not her thing. She could care less about how money systematically works and stabilizes the nation's economy. She only signed up because it meant having a class with Soojung.

  
"That's because you never do anything in this class," Soojung retorts, "maybe if you picked up your pen for once and paid attention, you wouldn't be so bored... And maybe your grade wouldn't be in jeopardy."

"Okay,  _Mom_." Jinri digs for a pen in her bag and starts jotting things down, words and phrases that she manages to catch, regardless of it's content and meaning. Minutes pass by like this in silence, excruciatingly (at least for Jinri), until Jinri loses her mind as it wanders over other (more important) matters.

"Have you hung out with Jongin and Sehun lately? I haven't heard from them in a while," Jinri whispers, then notices Soojung's sudden pause. Silence. And then back to the scrawling of her ink pen.

"I don't want to talk about that right now," she finally answers. Soojung doesn't even bother to look up, and Jinri can sense something is not quite right. Her brows furrow as she wonders how to get Soojung to spill the beans, which is usually hard to accomplish. Soojung likes to keep things to herself, she is a complicated girl with a complicated mind, but Jinri respects that because she also likes to isolate herself at times. The respect for each other's privacy has, if anything, only strengthened their friendship.

"What about you and Taemin? How's that been working out?" Soojung breaks the silence and Jinri's hands are suddenly shaking at the simple utter of his name. She doesn't want to think about  _him,_ simply because she believes its pointless.

"I thought you didn't want to talk about boys," she fiddles with her fingers as she speaks, but forcefully stops herself.

Soojung simply shrugs, she's stopped writing now and looking right at Jinri who is sitting next to her.

"We have class together later but who knows. It's been as it always has, nothing at all." She whispers the last part more to herself than to Soojung.

" _Mm_. I don't think so." Soojung's eyes meet with Jinri's and the red-head smiles. Jinri smiles back.

"Do you want to go out for coffee after Eco?" Soojung says as she packs up her things. "I think we both have a lot to talk about."

Jinri nods.

 

* * *

 

 ** FRIDAY ** **/ INTRO TO ANTHROPOLOGY (14:30-16:30)**

_What was so great about University life again?_

Taemin finds himself wondering about this once again on the day of the debate, grimacing when his Professor reads his name off some card and proclaiming that he would be the representative for the Male Division. “Make me proud, kid,” is what Professor Park tells him once he got up on stage, his eyebrows shooting upward at the too-heavy pat on the back his teacher leaves him with before stepping down himself.

As if it weren’t horrible enough that he had to endure the awkwardness of talking about ‘The Trials of Love’ with his male classmates, Taemin now had to present in class too.

 _Awesome_ , he thinks drolly, rubbing his eyes, _just fucking awes_ —

“Choi Jinri will represent the Female Division.” Professor Park announces, clapping his hands along with the female students whooping support. The girl—Jinri—locks eyes with him as she makes her way to the podium, her cheeks pink as she smiles at him. It’s enough to push his anxiety into overdrive, dissolving into frantic panic as his heart thudded against his chest.

 _I can’t do this. I can’t talk about Love with the girl I actually do_ —“You may begin.”

“Ladies’ first,” Taemin says immediately, shooting Jinri a look that he hopes didn’t look so desperately worried. Jinri blinks at him in surprise, nodding seconds later and missing his fists clench at his sides as she looked over her notes. Her voice is clear as she begins,

“The problem with the world today is we have become split into two types of people when it comes to love: We are either those who express the _text in excess_ or those who express it in _subtext_. Neither of which are right for the kind of communication a healthy love needs. In the former, the words ‘I love you’ have been—in our opinion—losing its credibility. We see and hear the words thrown about easily in the media. Whether it is in books, songs or films—the words ‘I love you’ ring in our ears so often it loses its own magic. You could say that you love someone and then on the next day not mean it. Today, there are people who use the words simply just _that_ … words to say to fill awkward, silent moments when it is not meant or necessary.”

“In the latter, however, love is expected to be understood without prompt. Actions are held precedent and while a lot of us girls agreed that sometimes this is the best, we also agreed that actions without words can also be oftentimes misunderstood. People are bound to assume when the intentions are vague. A lot of us had shared experiences where they had thought one thing and yet it had meant another to the person involved. We agreed that it is too easy to blur the lines between acts of kindness with acts of romantic love.” Jinri pauses for a moment, stealing a look at Taemin. Her cheeks still rosy pink as she wonders if he even realizes what she truly means. “It’s too easy to assume that the boy walking a girl to her next class might mean something more. The girl could easily imagine it as something romantic, when in fact it could only just be an act of chivalry in the boy’s part. We’re not saying that it’s anyone’s fault if the assumptions are wrong but it is human nature to wonder.”

Taemin’s breath slows as Jinri lifts her eyes towards him, trapping him in her gaze as she finishes her piece:

“So really, what we’re trying to say is that—whichever type of person in love you are, the trial of love is simply the lack of communication. Words do not mean much action and vice versa. Love needs to be reaffirmed and cared for. It should be brave, unsolicited and true. It isn’t meant to be taken lightly. You must not only act on it but spe—”

“But what if it needs time?” Taemin asks abruptly, halting Jinri midway through a word. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to interrupt but while everything you just said makes sense, I wonder if you—the female division—had thought about time.”

Jinri’s brow crinkles in confusion and when she tilts her head to him, Taemin feels his anxiety start to fade. “I don’t understand what you mean…”

“That fact is you girls are right. Society today has taken the idea of love to extremes. You are either the person who loves so much and too much or the person who loves too little or not at all. It’s a very fine line now, if you think about it. With so much going on in the world, it’s difficult to decipher whether the love is true when a partner says it aloud or not.” He takes a big breath for pause, unwilling to let his eyes stray from Jinri’s as he continues, “We are bound by the rules our culture has developed over centuries. We might change a little here and there but ultimately we go back to square one. But the thing is… once you have found the love you are looking for; it doesn’t mean that everything becomes easy. You could walk a girl to her next class, smile at her, carry her books and then watch her walk away. You could tell that girl you love her and be willing to show her but it wouldn’t be matter if you are afraid to admit it to yourself out loud…”

“Until now, for example.” Taemin shrugs and Jinri’s eyes widen in surprise. The rosy hue on her cheeks darkens further and it takes everything in him not to step down the podium and go to her.

“Knowing yourself and the right time is just as important in love as communication.” He feels his lips lift a little as he finishes, turning to face the whole class. It looked like he was right to trust his sunbae’s judgment. _Intro to Anthropology_ is the fucking best class ever.

“It might take awhile and you might get tired of wondering, but it’ll happen when it’s right. That’s how all the great love stories work.”

 

» » » » » 

 

“So today was interesting for _ Intro to Anthropology _, huh?”

She knew she could do better than that but at the moment she was still a little lost for words. It might actually take her awhile before her neurons kicked back in.

Across the linoleum table Taemin shoots her a smile, his hands wrapped around his cup of coffee in a way that reminded her of a mama bear protecting her young. The imagery made her giggle and when he catches her eye with that sparkling gaze of his, she just knows that she is done for.

“We’re not at all good at this,” Jinri tells him, smile soft and accommodating. “I mean, all of the staring and subtext from earlier was…”

“Pretty crucial, if you ask me.” Taemin says, smiling wider in return. Lifting one hand off from his cup and palm up, he edges it closer to hers and waits…

…not for very long as Jinri moves her warm hand onto his, palm to palm, and squeezes.

“So… Soojung, Sehun and Jongin are going to watch Godzilla tonight. Jongin managed to wear Soojung down and she says it’s mandatory that I be there. Wanna go watch with them? I’ll buy you popcorn.”

“Nah,” Taemin shakes his head, watching as their fingers lace and lock together. He looks up then just as she does and grins, “How about dinner and ice-skating? My treat.”

Jinri laughs. “I thought you’d never ask.”

 

 

 

 

 _ **HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NAOMI!**_  
5/29/2014  
11:59PM

 

 

» » » » » 

 


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